Good news Kindle lovers—Peter White Public Library now offers ebooks for your Kindle on our collection of ebooks through Great Lakes Digital Libraries.  Visit to digitalmedia.gldl.info to check out these new ebooks and others out on your own Kindle.

The Prince of Ravenscar by Catherine Coulter - The #1 New York Times-bestselling author brings a daring and witty new historical romance to life, with a sparkling cast of engaging, multifaceted characters.  Nicholas Monroe, widowed Prince of Ravenscar, is feeling pressure from his family to remarry. But the mysterious death of his first wife, Lily, still hangs over his head.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami - A young woman follows a taxi driver's suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84.  Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.  As Aomame's and Tengo's narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer.

The Litigators by John Grisham - The partners at Finley & Figg--all two of them--often refer to themselves as "a boutique law firm." Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, After twenty plus years together, the partners bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.  And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in.

The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst - In the summer of 1913, George Sawle brings his Cambridge schoolmate, Cecil, to his family's modest home for the weekend. George is enthralled by Cecil, and soon his sister, Daphne, is equally besotted by him. But what Cecil writes in Daphne's autograph album will change all their lives forever.  Over time, a tragic love story is spun, even as other secrets lie buried--until, decades later, an ambitious biographer threatens to unearth them.

Red Wagon by Renata Liwska is a charming tale that is sure to please. Irresistible illustrations capture the spirit of a childhood staple: imaginary play.  Lucy turns a chore – going to the market for her mother – into an adventure with friends, all with the use of the little red wagon. Between sailing the high seas and crossing the prairie on a stage-coach, the wagon becomes: a circus wagon, a train, a rocket ship and a flatbed truck. By the end of the story, readers will want to get our their own red wagons for hours of endless imaginative fun.

"There are many naughty children far beyond my expertise. I tried my best to help them but the problems would  not cease." So begins the book Spinster Goose: Twisted Nursery Rhymes for Naughty Children by Lisa Wheeler. This hilarious parody of Mother Goose rhymes is perfect for kids who feel like they’re always in trouble. Teachers and parents will laugh out loud as they relate to stories of children who can’t resist trouble.

Soup Opera by Jim Gill was written to be sung with gusto. A man goes into a prominent city restaurant and orders soup. When it comes, he tells the waiter he can’t eat it. The waiter calls for the cook, who calls the police chief, who calls the mayor, who calls for the President of the United States, who asks (or rather sings), "why can’t you eat the soup?" To which he replies, “I don’t have a spoon." This book tickles the funny bone.

The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee Frazier is a unique story of biracial twins, Minni and Keira. The twins visit their African American grandmother to compete in the Miss Black Pearl Preteen of America contest. Growing up in Portland, Oregon, the pair have grown used to stares when people learn they're twins.  Keira is dark like her mom and Minni has fair skin and red hair like her Dad. When they reach the South to stay with Grandma, Minni is now faced with feelings of not belonging, similar to those her sister had in Portland. Their friendship is tested as they both learn what role race plays in a person's character. Minni struggles with her aspiration to be a black leader like Martin Luther King Jr., because everyone, with the exception of her family, tells her she isn't black. 

Step back in time with this charming collection of tales about a little Dutch girl who’s sweeter than scones with cream. In The Milly Molly Mandy Storybook by Joyce Brisley, Milly Molly Mandy lives in a nice white cottage with her Father and Mother and Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle and Auntie. She’s delighted by the smallest of wonders, like discovering a rabbit after having bad luck finding blackberries. She saves her pennies to throw a party for her family, friends, the postman, and the town shopkeeper. This old-fashioned prose is so delightful that both boys and girls will beg for more Milly-Molly-Mandy.

Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai, provides an excellent portrait of a Muslim family in the days before and after September 11^th.  Fadi and his family flee Afghanistan, after the Taliban demand his father become the ambassador to the United Nations. When the family jumps on the truck to escape the country, Fadi’s sister, Mariam lets go of Fadi's hand and is left in Afghanistan.  The family does their best to coordinate a search from San Francisco, where they seek asylum just before the terrorist attacks of 9-11. Fadi hopes to win a photography contest to win the grand prize, a trip to India! He hopes to use the opportunity to hop the border and find his lost sister. The story gives a child’s perspective on how difficult it was to be Muslim after the fall of the twin towers, with people calling Fadi a terrorist. He also struggles shame and guilt, believing that Mariam's predicament is his fault. Fadi carries that Mariam’s predicament is his fault. The surprise ending will bring a tear to your eye.

In Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs, Teddy Fitzroy is living every kid's dream. Teddy lives at a zoo, where his parents work. When the zoo’s famous, but rather belligerent mascot, Henry the Hippo, is found dead in his pen, Teddy sneaks into the autopsy and hears the veterinarian say that Henry was murdered. When the head of Public Relations tells the veterinarian to cover it up, Teddy decides he'll find the killer on his own. This could prove fatal for Teddy, when mysterious "accidents" find him face to face with killer animals on two separate occasions. Teddy and the owner's daughter Summer need to solve the murder quickly as other animals die and the list of suspects grows longer.

The suspense keeps readers on the edge of their seat and the authentic tone of this fictional tale gives young readers a look into the habitats and nature of wild animals.

Graphic novels aren’t only for children and teens.  Writers and artists are using the graphic novel to tell powerful stories using both text and pictures.  Talking dogs, a famous physicist, cartoon mice, World War II soldiers, child slaves and determined detectives are featured in some of the library’s new adult graphic novels. 

Onward towards our noble deaths byMizuki, Shigeru. The first English translation of the work of 90-year-old Mizuki, a celebrated gekiga and manga artist in Japan for more than 40 years, is based on Mizuki's own experiences in the Imperial Army in WWII. The story follows the fate of doomed troops fighting in New Guinea as they face hunger, malaria, and the brutality of their own officers, who administer nightly beatings. Mizuki illustrates the soldiers in a "cartoony" style, but uses a detailed, realistic style for his backgrounds and landscape panels, capturing the beauty and desolation of the remote locate. The dual styles underline the complexity of the story, which alternates between broad comedy mocking the absurdity of the army's hierarchy and growing horror at the abuse of the infantrymen and the officers' commitment to the idea that one must die for one's country.

Habibi by award winning graphic novelist Craig Thompson. Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, Habibi tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them. We follow them as their lives unfold together and apart; as they struggle to make a place for themselves in a world (not unlike our own) fueled by fear, lust, and greed; and as they discover the extraordinary depth-and frailty-of their connection.  In addition to richly detailed story panels, the gorgeous Arabic ornamental calligraphy makes each page an individual work of art.

Mickey Mouse:  Race to Death Valley by Floyd Gottfredson.  Mickey Mouse wasn't always the cute and harmless rodent of Disney mega branding fame-- the early years of Mickey were quite a bit rougher. The first in a series, "Race to Death Valley" compiles the daily newspaper strips written by the inventive Gottfredson (often working from story and character concepts invented by Walt himself) between April 1930 and January 1932, interwoven with thoughtful essays by fellow Disney artists. Gottfredson's strips are jammed with incident and detail, energized with a loopy energy that matches the spunky determination of Mickey himself. Running pell-mell from one dangerous escapade to the next (spooky houses and runaway trains predominate), Mickey is all spit and fire as he confronts louts like Pegleg Pete and the Fox while protecting his risk-prone flapper girlfriend, Minnie: "Give up?? Never!!"

Mr. Murder is dead: a graphic novel by Victor Quinaz.  In his twilight years, retired cop Gould Kane slips from being a famous detective. Haunted by the memory of his arch nemesis, Kane drinks away his misery and tries to let go of an unresolved past. When Kane's greatest villain, Mr. Murder, finally emerges from years of hiding, the criminal mastermind once again marches into the spotlight-- to die. Murder's death is the catalyst for his greatest scheme yet.

Feynman, written by Jim Ottaviani and illustrated by Leland Myrick,  presents the larger-than-life exploits of Nobel-winning quantum physicist, adventurer, musician, world-class raconteur, and one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century: Richard Feynman.  Following the story of the great man's life from his childhood in Long Island to his work on the Manhattan Project and the Challenger disaster, Ottaviani tackles the bad with the good, leaving the reader delighted by Feynman's exuberant life and staggered at the loss humanity suffered with his death.

Duncan the Wonder Dog by Adam Hines. Set in a world almost exactly like ours, except that all animals can talk, humans still have dominion over everything, and a lot of animals aren't too happy about it; they also see the world in very different ways from each other, and from people. The central plot of this volume is what happens after an animal-rights organization run by a deranged, bloodthirsty macaque detonates a bomb at a human college, but that's just a springboard for Hines to show off what he can do. Nearly every page has some kind of stunning visual set piece; Hines' range of black-and-white drawing styles incorporate clean-lined "bigfoot" cartooning, hyper-stylized abstract landscapes and near-photorealism, often on the same page.

Noche Roja written by Simon Oliver, art by Jason Latour. Ex-cop Jack Cohen, now a hard-drinking home-security salesman, is hired by aid worker Paloma Flores to find out who’s killing young women who work in sweatshops just south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Many have died, she says, and no one’s doing anything. Cohen takes the job, but he is haunted by something from his past, and Flores’ hiring of him isn’t what it seems to be, either.  Oliver’s tale of abused people trapped in hopeless circumstances is wrenching, and its resonance with reality—serial killers on the blood-drenched border, poverty-stricken “free trade zones,” government corruption and profiteering—gives it real power.

The Great Michigan Read, a program of the Michigan Humanities Council, presents its 2011/2012 book selection, Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights and Murder in the Jazz Age by Kevin Boyle. The 2004 National Book Award winner tells the story of Dr. Ossian Sweet, an African American doctor who tested the limits of Jim Crow in 1925 Detroit when he and his family moved into a white neighborhood. Someone in the Sweet’s home fired into the mob gathered outside the house, killing a white man. The eleven people in the home, including Sweet’s wife, were charged with murder and defended by Clarence Darrow. Their legal battle had a profound impact on the movement toward civil rights in the United States.

Kevin Boyle will present at Peter White Public Library on Sunday, October 23 at 2:00 p.m. in the Community Room. A free public reception, question and answer session, book sales, and autographing will follow. Staff from the Michigan Humanities Council will be here to introduce Boyle and meet community residents.

A number of other exciting programs regarding the Great Michigan Read will take place at Peter White Public Library from late October through the end of January 2012. For more information, visit www.pwpl.info or call 906-226-4323.

Dr. Sweet was part of the Great Migration. An in-depth narrative about this movement can be found in The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. This classic immigrant story focuses on the lives of three African Americans who were part of the exodus of almost six million blacks who fled Jim Crow South between 1915 and 1970. Wilkerson looks at how this 20^th-century movement changed the culture, politics and social environment of American cities and the country.  While the book explores shocking aspects of our country's history, its stories affirm the endurance and humanity of millions of people who survive racist policies and culture.  Wilkerson's book was named one of the NY Times Book Review’s Best Books of 2010.

Patty Pinner's ancestors migrated from Mississippi to Saginaw, Michigan where Pinner grew up in a large extended African American family that loved cooking and eating. Pinner has collected a number of delicious sounding and delightful looking recipes in two cookbooks, Sweets: Soul Food Desserts & Memories and Sweety Pies: An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, With Pie. Pinner's first pie at the age of three was made with fresh mud and love, garnished with rose petals. Her cooking improved and the love remained, a good thing because in this family, feminine seduction begins in the kitchen. Both cookbooks are full of family stories, maxims, and vintage photographs.

In Arc of Justice we begin to comprehend the effect of policy, both official and unofficial, in terms of segregated housing in Detroit, especially as it regarded the Sweet family. Beryl Satter's 2009 book, Family Properties: Race, Real Estate, and the Exploitation of Black Urban America, investigates racist real-estate practices in Chicago after World War II. Satter looks at how social, institutional, and legal racism and greed resulted in segregation, poverty, and urban decay in cities across the country. She writes about the efforts of community reformers to bring about justice. Satter concludes with mention of the subprime mortgage crisis and the legislation which allowed these loans to flourish.

The story of a 19^th century community whose mixed-race citizens decided to develop a place where people could live as equals, worship, work together and intermarry, is found in A Stronger Kinship: One Town's Extraordinary Story of Hope and Faith by Anna-Lisa Cox. This story of the struggles, ideals, brave choices, determined power sharing, and the recognition and celebration of differences by the residents of Covert, Michigan, a small community near the shores of southern Lake Michigan, is a testament of possibility and hope in a regional and national environment of segregation and discrimination.

Not far from Covert are the communities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Michigan, two cities divided by the St. Joseph River, economics, and race. In The Other Side of the River: A Story of Two Towns, a Death and America's Dilemma, author Alex Kotlowitz examines the mystery surrounding the death of Eric McGinnis, an African American teenager whose body was found in the river in May 1991. Neither the author nor the police successfully solved this case; however, Kotlowitz's investigative reporting as he examines McGinnis's death and the history of both communities is very readable and revealing of race issues around the country.

Back in Detroit, you may want more historical background on the city's African American community to better understand the situation in which Dr. Sweet found himself. Before the Ghetto: Black Detroit in the Nineteenth Century by David M. Katzman examines the social and economic history of Detroit's Black population focusing on race relations, housing patterns and class structure.

If you don't mind crushed bodies, for fast-paced fun read The Detroit Electric Scheme, D. E. Johnson's first novel. Set in 1911, you'll get Detroit history, mystery, organized crime, violence and romance, and learn a bit about the development of early electric automobiles. The Dodge brothers and a young Edsel Ford are notorious and delightful characters, respectively. Johnson's grandfather was vice president of Checker Motors so automotive history is in Johnson's blood. A sequel, Motor City Shakedown, just arrived and promises to fly even faster, but don't peak ahead! 

Temperatures are cooler, daylight is shorter and the autumn color is waning. Once the outside chores are done, reading becomes a pastime for more of us living in the U.P.  If you need suggestions to get in a reading-mode, some of the latest books added to the new book kiosk are listed below. Enjoy!

Ruth Rendell’s latest mystery, THE VAULT, is a sequel to her 1998 classic entitled A Sight for Sore Eyes. Inspector Wexford is called back from retirement to aid the London Police in solving murders. His meticulous method of searching facts and processing them find many possible murderers, but he uses his experience of working with the criminal mind to narrow down the list of suspects. This Wexford story can stand alone, although Rendell does well to plot a tale for longtime followers.

FORBIDDEN The Book of Mortals is the first book in a new series by best-selling author Ted Dekker. Dekker is joined by Tosca Lee to write this futuristic thriller. Their main character, Rom, is living in a perfect world—there’s peace, equality, no war, and no emotion except fear itself. All of humanity has been genetically stripped of emotion. Rom discovers a vial of blood and a cryptic note from his father. What should he do? True to Dekker fans, this dark novel is loaded with twists and turns.

Anne Enright uses her native Dublin as the location in her book entitled THE FORGOTTEN WALTZ. It’s a novel that relates the many side stories when a love affair happens. We learn how her husband reacts, and what his wife does. But, more importantly, we see what happens to the life of Evie, his 12-year-old daughter. Enright’s prose takes the reader through the emotions of life as she compares it to her homeland, Ireland.

LIONHEART by Sharon Kay Penman relates more tales about Richard the Lionheart. Third son of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard I inherits the English throne as he leaves to fight in the Third Crusade. Penman weaves a beautiful story set in medieval history based on her thorough research of Richard as a warrior-king. The nearly 600 pages may turn some people off, but it reads easily in a quiet setting.

Chris Bohjalian’s THE NIGHT STRANGERS is a thrilling ghost story set in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Former commercial pilot Chip Linton and his family have relocated to begin a new life after a tragic aircraft accident which Chip had piloted. They find the number “39” to be a particularly strange number that keeps turning up—thirty-nine people died in Chip’s accident, thirty-nine carriage bolts in the sealed basement door...  Bohjalian builds suspense time and again during this novel.

Book character Virgil Flowers has his fifth adventure in SHOCK WAVE: A Virgil Flowers Novel by John Sanford. Flowers is a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Agent who loves his work. Two bombs have gone off at properties belonging to PyeMart megastores. Several groups do not want a new store to go up. Who’s behind the bombs? It becomes Flowers’ job to find that out when he is called to the case from vacation. Using modern investigative approaches and good old common sense, he narrows the suspect list down. He must find the bomber before more are killed.

FALLING TOGETHER by Marisa de los Santos is a Reader’s Choice book for library and community book groups for 2012. It begins with a trio of college friends – Cat (Catalina), Pen (Penelope) and Will, who come together at a 10^th class reunion after growing apart in their adult lives. What should be a happy reunion is full of stress. De los Santos’ writing style creates a good mystery as Pen, Pen’s daughter and Will jet halfway around the globe to the Philippines looking for the disappeared Cat.

There’s a new author in town and his name is Matt Faulkner. Although he’s visiting Marquette for the first time, Faulkner has illustrated and written children’s books for over twenty years.  He’s made his mark on biographies and American history books for children by adding illustrations of historic scenes that look like they came from a comic strip.  The subdued colors give the impression that the pictures are old, but Faulkner puts a fresh spin on the illustrations.  History has never been so interesting!

“A Taste of Colored Water,” written and illustrated by Faulkner, takes readers back to the south in the 1960’s when Civil Rights demonstrations were in full swing.  On the school playground, Lulu and Jelly hear about a colored water fountain in the city, which they look for on their next trip to town.  As you may have guessed, Lulu and Jelly have an enlightening adventure and find that the fountain splashes out regular water; the “colored” sign separates water drinkers by their skin color.

“Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln” and “You’re On Your Way, Teddy Roosevelt” both by Judith St. George, tell the childhood stories of these well known presidents.  The author emphasizes Abe Lincoln’s love of reading and Teddy Roosevelt’s love of nature throughout the stages and personal trials of their young lives.

"The Night Henry Ford Met Santa” by Carol Hagen is really a story about the Ford Company’s assembly line which used standardized parts to increase the number of cars made, while decreasing the price of the cars, which didn’t require customized labor anymore.  Ford’s son, Edsel, is center stage in the book as he writes a letter to Santa.  And the story turns to fantasy as Ford makes a trip to the North Pole, where the assembly line is already in use by Santa’s efficient elves.  To balance off the trip to Santa’s workshop, there’s a Model T photograph and historic information from The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

“Independent Dames” and “Thank You Sarah,” both written by Laurie Halse Anderson, take a lighter approach to history and Faulkner’s illustrations just add to the fun.  The first title follows a timeline from 1763, following some lesser known women through the Revolutionary War and ending in 1791.  The second title has a subtitle, “The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving,” referring to Sarah Hale’s crusade to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.  She wrote letters to public officials for years, not to be taken seriously until Abraham Lincoln granted her request as a way to unify the country during the Civil War.

Matt Faulkner will be talking to teachers this week at the Upper Peninsula Reading Conference and has added a Peter White Public Library presentation, including book signing and art activities, on Wednesday, October 12^th  at7:00 pm.  All are welcome, especially older elementary and middle school students.

Victoria McKernan's riveting novel The Devil's Paintbox follows the 1865 westward journey of 16-year-old Aiden and his younger sister Maddie after the two are left alone, struggling to survive, on their parents' drought-ravaged Kansas ranch. To pay for their two-thousand mile journey to Oregon via wagon train, Aiden signs on to be an indentured servant at a logging camp. Vividly depicting the beauty and dangers of the frontier west, McKernan's action-packed novel incorporates historical events like the Sand Creek massacre and the threat to Native Americans from smallpox, which they called "the devil's paintbox."

Ronald Kidd was inspired to write Monkey Town after listening to an elderly woman who, as a young girl, had witnessed firsthand the 3-ring circus surrounding the 1925 Scopes "monkey trial."  Fifteen-year-old Frances Robinson narrates this semi-biographical story of the publicity stunt that evolved into "the trial of the century", after the Dayton, TN school board had teacher John Scopes arrested and prosecuted for teaching evolution. Kidd blends the facts of the event with fictional interactions between Frances, her beloved teacher Johnny Scopes, and larger-than-life characters like Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan and H.L. Mencken.

As World War II was being fought overseas,  the battle to defeat tuberculosis was being waged on the home front. Queen of Hearts, by award-winning author Martha Brooks, takes readers into the world of "TB exiles", tuberculosis patients who were quarantined in sanatoriums. When Canadian teen Marie Claire and her younger brother are stricken with TB and sent to a local sanatorium, Marie Claire is forced to "chase the cure" even as she watches the slow decline of her brother and other patients. Brooks tells a compassionate story of one headstrong girl's emotional growth and search for love while coming of age in a hospital bed.  The author herself was born and raised on the grounds of the Manitoba Sanitorium, where her father was a surgeon and her mother a nurse.

Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi is a slender book with a powerful message about our government’s utter failure to alleviate human misery in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Following his mother’s remarriage, 16-year-old Miles goes to New Orleans to live with his musician father only two months before Katrina hits. Unable to flee the city before the storm, Miles is shuffled into the Superdome with his father and uncle, where the combination of too many people and too little space quickly turns their place of refuge into a nightmare of crime and deprivation, with no relief in sight.

In The Girl Is Murder, author Kathryn Miller Haines spices up the history with a large dose of mystery. It’s 1942 and Iris Anderson’s father is back from the war, trying to make a living as a private detective in spite of being slowed down by a missing leg. Iris longs to help out, but her “Pop” forbids it. When Pop takes on a case that involves a boy at her high school, the irrepressible Iris begins investigating behind Pop's back and quickly masters the art of deception. With its great cast of characters, intrigue and period slang, this book reads like 1940’s film noir.

The Peter White Public Library offers these new adult nonfiction books.

Drinking from the Fire Hose: Making Smarter Decisions Without Drowning in Information by Christopher J. Frank and Paul F. Magnone.

With constant access to information via smart-phones, computers, and the media, getting information can be like drinking from a fire hose. Christopher Frank is the president of American Express, and his co-Author Paul Magnone spent 21 years at IBM. The authors pose practical questions and answer them in detail, such as “How often do you leave a meeting with more questions than answers?”  New Adult Non-Fiction 658.403 FR

Fever: Little Willie John, a Fast Life, Mysterious Death and the Birth of Soul: The Authorized Biography by Susan Whitall.

Stevie Wonder once said, “My mother told me, if you call yourself 'Little' Stevie Wonder you'd better be as good as Little Willie John." Born in Arkansas in 1937, William Edward John’s family moved to Detroit when he was four so that his father could pursue work in the factories. Only living to age 30, Little Willie John’s life was short and tumultuous, but he left his mark on the music world. His trademark blues-rock inspired those who followed him. He is credited as one of the founders of soul music.   New Adult Non-Fiction 780.92 JO

Pool Player's Edge by Gerry Kanov and Shari Stauch.

Tips and secrets for every aspect of your pool game. Covers strategy for the most popular forms of the game. Contains step-by-step professional instructions and over 200 full-color detailed diagrams.  New Adult Non-Fiction 794.733 KA

Yes, You Can! And Freeze and Dry It, Too: The Modern Step-By-Step Guide to Preserving Food by Daniel Gasteiger.

Whether you grow your own food, or just like the way homemade food tastes, canning and preserving is a good way to save the abundant tastes of summer. Step by step instructions and illustrations fill this book.  New Adult Non-Fiction 641.42 GA

The Ancient Guide to Modern Life by Natalie Haynes.

Entertaining and serious at the same time, comedienne Haynes gives an overview of the ancient world, and what we can take away from it and apply to our modern lives. Written in a monologue style, she covers a number of topics that we are still grappling with today including politics, law, religion, the arts, and money. It makes the classical world both approachable and fun.  New Adult Non-Fiction 930 HA

Generation Freedom : the Middle East Uprisings and the Remaking of the Modern World by Bruce S. Feiler.

In the spring of 2011, a number of uprisings occurred in the Middle East that made the world take notice. Drawing on his many years of experience traveling in the area, Fieler gives a background to these events, and what it means for the future.  New Adult Non-Fiction 323.044 FE

      Just as the stores and their sales are there to help parents with all the concrete things they need to buy for their children who are going back to school, the Peter White Public Library is prepared to help with all the abstract things that parents are thinking about. 
      The Lunchbox Book by Penny Stanway, The Healthy Lunchbox: How to plan, prepare & pack stress-free meals kids will love by Marie McClendon, and Love in a Lunch Box: 101 suggestions for happier, healthier lunches by Carole Raymond are all great books for parents who feel stumped when it comes to that ominous question of what to pack for lunch. 
      The Complete IEP Guide: How to advocate for your special ed child by Laurence Siegel and from Emotions to Advocacy: The special education survival guide by Peter Wright can help parents, like myself, who’s child my need some extra services during school hours.  Titles like these can help you navigate the system and figure out what your child’s rights are.
      Another book that addresses the issue of student rights is We the Students: Supreme Court cases for and about students by Jamin B. Raskin.  The cases involve issues that are of high interest to students, such as drug testing and privacy, discrimination, school presses, free speech, and religion in public schools.
      For the many parents in this area who homeschool, back to school still means a change in routine.  One new title they might find helpful is 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing the right curriculum and approach for your child's learning style by Cathy Duffy.  The Library also has titles that support the Waldrof, Montessorri, Hyde School and other curriculum.     
      Another population that is thinking a lot about the back to school transition is, of course, teachers.  Parent-friendly Early Learning: Tips and strategies for working well with families by Julie Powers is directed primarily to early childhood crowd and includes strategies for good communication and problem-solving between child care teachers and parents.
      Parents and teachers alike may appreciate the many books the library has collected on how to maximize our children’s potential.  Patrons can choose from titles such as Different Learners: Identifying, preventing, and treating your child's learning problems  by Jane M. Healy, The Passionate Learner: How teachers and parents can help children reclaim the joy of discovery by Robert L. Fried, Bright Minds, Poor Grades by Michael D. Whitley, and Your Child's Strengths: Discover them, develop them, use them by Jenifer Fox.
      Michael Sullivan is a librarian who has earned a reputation as a strong advocate for boys who struggle with literacy.  His book Connecting Boys With Books 2: Closing the reading gap will appeal to parents who want to inspire their sons. 
      Parents who are more concerned with the social aspects of school might be interested in The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander: From preschool to high school--how parents and teachers can help break the cycle of violence by Barbara Coloroso.

The Money Class:  Learn to Make Your New American Dream by Suze Orman 

In her newest book, Suze Orman offers a master class on personal finance, covering every part of the American Dream–family matters, homeownership, saving for college, emergencies, and retirement. Using no-nonsense rhetoric, she encourages readers to “stand in your truth” by “living below your means but within your needs” in order to live a life of integrity and honesty that will create an enduring legacy for future generations. In short, Suze Orman wants all Americans to create a New American Dream that lies in truth, financial freedom, and peace of mind.

I’m Feeling Lucky: Confessions of Goggle Employee Number 59 by Douglas Edwards

Douglas Edwards offers an inside look at the early days of Google from his viewpoint as Google's first director of marketing and brand management.  Used to a more structured business work environment, Edwards was amazed by the mix of camaraderie and competition he found at Google where everyone was treated equally and every employee was encouraged to define a problem or feature and work independently on it. As one book reviewer put it, “I'm Feeling Lucky captures for the first time the unique, self-invented, yet profoundly important culture of the world's most transformative corporation.”  If you’d like to learn more about the business created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, this book will give you the inside scoop.

2011 State of the World: Innovations That Nourish the Planet by the Worldwatch Institute

This latest report from the Worldwatch Institute explores the current global food crisis by examining connections between hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation and documents many of the innovations that will allow billions of people to feed themselves while restoring rural economies and providing for sustainable agriculture.  Two of the topics discussed are “Getting More Crop per Drop” and “Harnessing the Knowledge and Skills of Women Farmers”. The Worldwatch Institute 2011 report has easy-to-read graphs and charts as well as photographs from all over the world.

The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security: Practical Strategies for Money, Work and Living by Mark Miller

Mark Miller gives realistic strategies for money, work, and living that can be used for retirement security despite a tough economy.  An expert on aging, retirement, business, and economics, Miller discusses annuities and Social Security, 401(k)s and IRAs, taxes, and health care in his book. Mark Miller writes the syndicated weekly column “Retire Smart” and contributes to CBS Moneywatch.com and the Huffington Post, and also publishes RetirementRevised.com. 

Super Boom: Why the Dow Will Hit 38,820 and How You Can Profit From It by Jeffrey A. Hirsch

In Super Boom Jeffrey Hirsch follows in the footsteps of his famous father, Yale Hirsch who made the prediction in the 1970s that there would be 500% move in the Dow. Jeffrey Hirsch makes similar claims: “Throughout this book, we demonstrate that the coming super boom is not only plausible, but mathematically and historically probable. Moves of this magnitude have happened several times throughout history, and they have always been preceded by tumultuous times and economic weakness.”  The book covers Jeff's Dow 38,820 prediction in detail and discusses the best investment strategies to profit from such a rise in the stock market. As one reviewer says, “To every serious investor I say, Read Super Boom or Perish!”

Live Your Best Life: A Treasury of Wisdom, Wit, Advice, Interviews, and Inspiration from O

This first annual edition of Live Your Best Life by The Oprah Magazine presents over 100 of the magazine’s best articles from the last two years. Contributors such as Dr. Phil, Suze Orman, Martha Beck, and Oprah offer entertaining, insightful articles that will guide you toward greater emotional and physical and spiritual well being. Live Your Best Life is a treasury of wisdom you’ll refer to over and over again.

The Next Decade: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going by George Friedman

Author of the New York Times bestseller, The Next 100 Years, intelligence expert, George Friedman, examines the impact of current decision making, especially of the United States government, on the world and argues for an end to the reluctance, as he sees it, of the United States to get involved in global affairs.  Friedman looks at the strategies of past presidents and discusses what President Obama and succeeding presidents must do about terrorism and technology to manage geopolitical relationships in various regions around the world.  The wealth of historical information Friedman includes in his book brings depth and clarity to his discussion of the next ten years.

            For an end of the summer season beach read, head over to the library, and check out Chris Cavender’s “A Slice of Murder”.  The cover design features a delicious looking pizza, and the book contains a pizza dough and sauce recipe at the conclusion of the mystery.  The author, writing under a pseudonym, is an Agatha Award nominee and has made the national bestseller list nine times.  The plot has lots of twists and turns and is set in the little town of Timber Ridge, North Carolina.  Pizza parlor owners and sisters, Eleanor and Maddy discover a blackmailing plot, romances gone wrong and laundered money practices.  They try to stay a step ahead of a killer while keeping the ovens fired at their pizza business. 
            If you have a fall wedding coming up, the next two new non-fiction selections may come in handy.  If you’re in charge of the wedding shower, check out, “Simple Stunning Wedding Showers” by Karen Bussen, with photographs by William Geddes.  Searching for menu ideas....how about “gruyere-stuffed dinner rolls” or “garlic-kick mashed sweet potatoes”?  “Mini peach upside-down cakes” look adorable for dessert!  The photos of all the food options are really fun to look at.  Ingredients are simple, easy and affordable.  There are theme suggestions for showers as well as tailoring the event to a bride’s style, such as the “bohemian bride”, and “pampered princess”.  Lots of original ideas abound for making the bridal couple feel extra special. 
            The second wedding book in our new non-fiction selections is titled, “The Bridesmaid’s Handbook” by Kathy Passero.  This book claims to hold savvy advice, tips to sensational showers as well as secrets to success.  For the first time bridesmaid, or even the seasoned one, this book will revive interest in the job, when exhaustion threatens to set in.  There are helpful expense lists, organizing tips, and a “things to do” checklist.  Bouquet toss basics, Toasting tips and party pointers each get sections of the book.  This is a fun book to thumb through, even if you think you know all you need to know to be a good wedding participant.
            Another book with lovely photographs and unique ideas, is “Decorate” 1,000 professional design ideas for every room in your home, by Holly Becker and Joanna Copestick. Look in our new non-fiction for this attractive book, featuring flea market finds, colorful style, and layout ideas.  Holly Becker has a popular blog as well as a weekly column in “Real Simple” magazine.  Joanna Copestick has authored more than ten books and worked as an interior designer, appearing on television and radio. 
            For some poignant tales and stories, turn to the next two selections, “Gifts 2” How People with Down Syndrome Enrich the World, edited by Kathryn Lynard Soper, and “Through My Eyes” by Tim Tebow.  The first book contains personal stories of family members and friends who have interacted in many positive ways with individuals with down syndrome.  You will shed a tear or two or laugh heartily as you work your way through these short chapters.  Photos of the participants accompany each tale.
            The second book written by young football player, Tim Tebow with help from Nathan Whitaker, tells the story of a dedicated, energetic young person who disciplined himself at an early age to give only his best effort.  As football season descends upon us, this book enables one to see the game through the eyes of a professional, whose heart is not only in the game, but in the needs of people on the field around him, as well as those not as fortunate.  Leadership, character, competitiveness and Christian values seem to be what make this athlete/author tick.  The book is titled:  “Through my Eyes”. 

The city of Marquette welcomed 10 sister city delegates from Kajaani, Finland this week. They’ll be in town next week as well, experiencing the infrastructure, economic, cultural and historic facets of the Upper Peninsula’s Queen City. Peter White Public Library has a vast Finnish collection, both in English and Finnish. Readers can delve into the city of Kajaani by going to the Sister City Room on the main floor of the library and checking out these books:

Kainuu Kuvissani by Matti Koskela offers a smattering of Koskela’s works. This prominent Finnish artist and professor at the Art School of the Finnish Art Academy was inspired by the forests and fields of Kainuu. Many of the etchings, sculptures, paintings and commissioned pieces reflect the beauty of the area in and around Kajaani.  

What would a Finnish collection be, without a sauna book? Finnish Sauna: Design, Construction and Maintenance includes 11 types of saunas along with information on how to plan and design a sauna, furnishings, stoves, plumbing and smoke saunas. Photos  accompany descriptions, giving sauna novices an idea of how many ways people enjoy this Finnish pastime.

Interested in Kajaani’s industry? Progress in Pictures by Paavo Tuovinen describes the history of Kajaani Oy, the Kajaani Timber Company, from 1907-1982. Photos depict the early days of moving and milling timber from the remote parts of Northern Finland. Readers also get a glimpse of early forest management plans and how technology advanced the timber industry. For many years Kajaani Oy was the premiere producer of newsprint and shipped to countries around the world.

The Sister City Room offers resources for traveling or studying in Kajaani. The Finland Centre for Study in Finland: International  Programs in Finnish Higher Education gives a brief overview of the Finnish education system, from Comprehensive School at age 7 to University or Polytechnic School at age 19.  This resource also includes fields of study at several Universities in Finland as well as financial aid opportunities and tips on studying abroad. 

Internationally recognized as one of the grandfathers of modern design in Finland, Alvar Aalto (1878-1976) was a visionary of his time, helping to shape Finnish design culture. Finnish Modern Design: Utopian Ideals and Everyday Realities includes Aalto's progressive modernism, as well as the many other designers that contributed to the diversity of multifaceted nature of modernism in Finland. The first section of the book takes the reader through modernism and cultural identity of Finland and the applied arts in of the small Scandinavian country. The second section provides illustrations of the exhibition.

The Howling Miller by Arto Paasilinna is a fictional tale of a 1940’s miller in a small town in Northern Finland. Eccentric is a tame word for this military veteran who takes to howling at night and imitating animals for the townspeople. In the beginning, his neighbors make sport of him, but soon grow tired of the “madman,” and he is forced to flee into the woods and live as a hermit. This comical tale also includes a sweet romance which casts a different light on this literary underdog.

In our juvenile section the Finnish spirit is captured in two classics younger readers will enjoy:

Louhi, Witch of North Farm, retold by Toni De Gerez, is a younger version of the tale taken from the Kalevala, the famous Finnish Epic. Louhi, the witch of the north farm is up to trouble, skiing down from her farm and stealing the sun and the moon. She takes them home to Copper Mountain and locks them up. Finland is plunged into darkness. Vainamoinen, the music maker and Seppo, the smith come up with a plan to trick Louhi  into returning the sun and moon. This beautiful picture book is illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner Barbara Cooney, capturing the winter light and snowy landscape of Finland.

The Book of Finnish Elves by Mauri Kunnas tells of the delightful fairy-tale creatures known in Finnish households as guardian spirits. Elves inhabited each building on the homestead. There were sauna elves, barn elves, household elves, stable elves, mill elves, and storehouse elves. They moved around when everyone in the household was asleep, performing tasks, like milking the cow or sweeping the floors. While some elves were jolly, others were mischievous. Readers will delight in these comical depictions from Finnish folklore.  

What’s tried and true (instead of new) at the Peter White Public Library this week?  The answer is - children’s books by Nancy Shaw! Her very first book was SHEEP IN A JEEP, a repetitive reader about a group of sheep and their adventures while driving a jeep. This short, silly story will coax the most reluctant readers to check it out.  Margot Apple’s colored pencil illustrations lend levity to the story with facial expressions that define the character of each sheep in the group.

Shaw and Apple continued the “sheep” series of books with SHEEP ON A SHIP, a sea tale about  pirate sheep who get caught in a storm but come to no harm, as always.  Follow the fleecy group as they go to the country store to buy a birthday gift for a friend in SHEEP IN A SHOP. When the sheep sit down at a restaurant and try to order a meal in SHEEP OUT TO EAT, they are trying their best to dine properly.  The truth is they’d rather be outside, munching on the green grass of the lawn.  In SHEEP TAKE A HIKE, the wooly wanderers stray from the path and end up leaving patches of fluffy fleece on prickly bushes and thorny branches along the way.  All is not lost, as they discover how to follow their fur back home again.  SHEEP TRICK OR TREAT takes the herd all around the barnyard gathering treats from other animals that don’t exactly match a sheep’s definition of a “treat.”  SHEEP BLAST OFF, the final book in the sheep series, takes the sheep into outer space.  You can depend on each book being full of rhyme and alliteration, making the text easy enough for beginning readers and clever enough for adults to read to an audience. 

RACCOON TUNE takes a different track by featuring raccoons, out for a moonlight stroll, looking for treats in garbage cans.  One can with a very tight lid takes a lot of effort to open and ends up rolling down the hill into a stream.  The raccoons fish the garbage can out of the water, happy to find a nice bunch of trout in the bottom.  The oil paint illustrations by Howard Fine show several content and well-fed raccoons on the last page of the book. 

Nancy Shaw is a Michigan author from Ann Arbor.  Lucky for us, she’s traveling through Marquette next week and will make a guest appearance, including book signing and craft activities, at the Peter White Public Library on Wednesday, July 20^th at 2:00 pm.  All are welcome.

Ron Riekki is energizing the U. P. about reading and writing this summer. Riekki, who was born in Marquette, is the author of the novel U.P. and a large number of plays and poems. Riekki has organized an ambitious U.P.-wide book tour with over 60 writers in over 50 events over 30 days in 21 U.P. cities from Copper Harbor to Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace. Visit his website rariekki.webs.com/apps/blog/ for a full schedule. The tour opened with a panel discussion at Peter White Public Library where six panelists shared their favorite Michigan and U.P. titles.

Austin Hummell, author of Poppy, his latest collection of poems, enjoys the beautiful language of Riekki’s U.P., a raw and gritty coming-of-age story about four friends and cousins growing up in Negaunee in the late 1980’s. This book has been compared to Catcher in the Rye and A Separate Peace, classic young adult novels. My friend Wendy Irish writes, “Riekki has demonstrated that it is time for an update on the themes of sorting out what is what in one’s life while barraged by hormones, dysfunctional families, and the desperation of a hard scrabble economy.” U.P.’s style, humor and wordplay add to the appeal of this novel. Hummell believes Escanaba's Catie Rosemurgy is one of the finest poets writing today. Her books include My Favorite Apocalypse and The Stranger Manual which we will be ordering soon. Hummell also mentioned Caitlin Horrocks who teaches at Grand Valley State. Some of the stories in her brand new book, This Is Not Your City, are set in Michigan. 

Roxane Gay recommends the books of Bonnie Jo Campbell. American Salvage, a collection of short stories set in southwestern lower Michigan, takes another dark and gritty look at living in a depressed rural economy, although the characters in this book may not have fared well in a strong economy either. Campbell’s newest book, Once Upon a River, is due out this month. This tale of a strong heroine in which Michigan acts as a character, is already drawing starred reviews. Gay is the author of many pieces of short fiction, especially online fiction. Her book Ayiti, about Haiti, will be released in October. 

Lisa Cerasoli Weaver attended Marquette's recent Young Authors conference with guest author Kelly DiPucchio from downstate, and likes her books, especially Sipping Spiders Through a Straw: Campfire Songs for Monsters. DiPucchio twisted the lyrics of traditional songs such as "If You're Scary and You Know It," grossing-out parents while delighting children. Weaver's favorite U.P. book is Tyler Tichelaar's The Only Thing That Lasts, an old-fashioned novel about a young boy who moves to Marquette during World War I and grows up to become a famous author. Weaver is the author of two books. 

Munising's Falling Rock Café & Bookstore owner, Nancy Dwyer, chose Ellen Airgood's South of Superior and Face in the Rock by Loren Graham as her two favorites. Airgood runs the West Bay Diner in Grand Marais which may explain why her main characters include a pizza parlor owner and a young waitress full of personality and spunk. This debut novel is a very dear story of a young woman who returns to a tiny U.P. town on Superior's south shore to care for an elderly friend of her estranged grandfather. Airgood's descriptions of the Lake, small town McAllaster, and a dozen strong and compassionate characters are delightful. She shows why small communities are worth saving. Graham mixes history and story in an account of the band of Chippewa who lived on Grand Island.

Dianne Patrick from Snowbound Books announced that Michigan State University Press reprinted Laughing Whitefish by Robert Traver. In this courtroom drama set in Marquette in 1873, Charlotte Kawbawgam seeks legal justice for her father who led men from the Jackson Mining Company to iron ore deposits. In return, he was given a small share in the mine, but new owners refuse to honor this bequest. Matthew Fletcher, Director of the Indigenous Law and Policy Center at Michigan State University, provides a foreword to this beautiful new edition. 

I shared Cold by John Smolens, a thrilling tale of murder, betrayal, tenderness and love set in the U.P. one wintry, blizzardy season. Smolens’ new book, The Schoolmaster’s Daughter, due out this September, is on my reading list. Smolens won the 2010 Michigan Author Award from the Michigan Library Association. The children's novels of Carroll Watson Rankin are old but they are good fun. Her most famous book, Dandelion Cottage, tells the story of four girls, the caretaker’s cottage at St. Paul’s, and a lawn of dandelions. Her Castaways of Pete’s Patch is set at the Little Garlic where the Rankins had a camp. Stump Village takes place on Arch St. and The Adopting of Rosa Marie is based on Grandmother Watson. Rankin started writing for The Mining Journal at age 15. She always had nice cats, so if you wanted a kitten, you knew where to go. Rankin’s daughter, Phyllis, was the long time librarian of Peter White Public Library. Nancy Bailey’s Clifford of Drummond Island is a collection of delightful horse tales. Clifford and Nancy will appear at Peter White on July 26 at 3:00 p.m. The U.P. Book Tour is inspiring me to read more U.P. authors. I just started Lauri Anderson’s Misery Bay and Mosquito Conversations. So far, so good. Travel the U.P.--Read It! Thanks, Ron!

          June was an exciting month for large print readers and others with vision problems! Just in time for summer reading the library has added over 50 new books in our large print collection, thanks to a donation from generous patrons, and had staff training on our new adaptive technology computer station.  The new adaptive technology computer station is now available for patrons who have trouble reading a standard computer screen.  Patrons can choose between two separate adaptive software packages to imporve their access to programs such as Microsoft Windows or to the World Wide Web.  Both ZoomText and Jaws software allow users to adjust the magnification level of the screen display and include a synthesized voice reader option that allows the user to listen to the text on the screen.  Whether you're surfing the web, creating a document or emailing your friends ZoomText and Jaws let you see, hear and use all of your applications more easily than ever.
          Some of the new large print titles we've just added include:
          Hunting for Hemingway by Diane Gilbert Madsen.  Although insurance investigator DD McGil has always had her choice of lovers, she's been spectacularly unlucky in love.  Now one of DD's former flames claims to have recovered the legendary stories and poems that Hemingway's first wife lost while on a train to Switzerland in 1922. Barnes plans to auction them off for millions, but are they truly the lost Hemingway works or are they forgeries? DD's quest to prove the manuscripts genuine puts her on the trail of a killer.  The hunter quickly becomes the hunted when someone tries to stop her--dead.
          There are people out there, millions of them, who act as if they still believe everything their mothers told them in the first six months of life: they're the nicest, most beautiful, most promising and intelligent bags of flesh ever to walk the earth, and anybody who can't see it is a jealous fool.  We call these people shmucks.  In How to Be a Mentsh (and Not a Shmuck), bestselling author Michael Wex offers a wise and witty guide to being a good human being, regardless of your religion or belief - a blueprint for living a decent and moral life, acting with self-control instead of self-denial, and winning through cooperation rather than competition.  It's a fast-paced and entertaining adventure into the wisdom of the ages, wherever that wisdom may be found.
          "Terrible times can elicit extraordinary deeds even from ordinary people, and Muriel Gardner was anything but ordinary..." In Muriel's War, author Sheila Isenberg sets the story straight about this an American heiress turned resistance hero.  Muriel Gardiner was an electrifying woman who impressed everyone she met with her beauty and intelligence.  Her adventurous life led her from Chicago's high society to a Viennese medical school, and then to the Austrian underground.  Over the years, she saved countless Jews and anti-fascists, providing shelter and documents ensuring their escape.
          In Dead Zero from New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner, Stephen Hunter, comes a thriller that plunges deep into the world of high-tech national security, the hearts and minds of those who kill for duty, and the latest mission for veteran sniper Bob Lee Swagger--who may have finally met the only man who can outshoot him.
          Eerie twists of fate drive the four longish stories in Stephen King's Full Dark, No Stars.  In "1922", a farmer murders his wife to retain the family land she hopes to sell, then watches his life unravel hideously as the consequences of the killing suggest a near-supernatural revenge.  "Big Driver" tells of an otherwise ordinary woman who discovers her extraordinary capacity for retribution after she is raped and left for dead.  "A Good Marriage" explores the aftermath of a wife's discovery of her milquetoast husband's sinister secret life, while "Fair Extension" the book's most disturbing story, follows the relationship between a man and the best friend on whom he shifts all his bad luck and misfortune.  These tales show how a skilled storyteller with a good tale to tell can make unsettling fiction compulsively readable.
          By way of her adventures with seven birds - wild, tame, exotic and common - Sy Montgomery in Birdology teaches us that birds are far stranger, more wondrous, and at the same time, more like us than we might have dared to imagine.  And despite birds' and humans' disparate evolutionary paths, we share emotional and intellectual abilities that allow us to communicate and even form deep bonds.

Summer is a time for travel and for some it means a time to hunt down more of their family tree. Tracing your family back to when they came to Marquette, the county, the state of Michigan or elsewhere can become a family vacation. Genealogy information cannot be found locally if you don’t live in the area where your ancestors were. Before you leave Marquette and venture on your own family quest, PWPL has some excellent titles to aid you in your genealogy search.  

A recent addition, The Troubleshooter’s Guide to Do-It-Yourself Genealogy by W. Daniel Quillen, is a good example. This 2010 book provides help for getting started in genealogy. It also gives pointers for the avid genealogist when a brickwall is hit. Everyone needs help sometimes and this book can help find family facts.

Michigan Genealogy: sources & resources by Carol McGinnis is another new book; however, it is located upstairs in the Genealogy Collection section. It’s a compilation of several topics that can assist a genealogist in finding information located in Michigan. Ms. McGinnis suggests looking in religious records, funeral homes and cemetery records to discover when a relative died and where he or she was buried. Local genealogy societies can help to obtain family facts, too. The book lists societies throughout Michigan. This is definitely a wealth of information for the researcher within the state of Michigan.  

Elizabeth Shown Mills wrote the next helpful genealogy book, Evidence! Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian. Ms. Mills points out that it’s not just the familial information that one finds, but the proof or evidence that the information is correct and can be proven is what makes it good. As a genealogist collects data, (s)he needs to document where it came from. That documentation needs to be in a standard format that Mills shares so everyone can understand the information.

 Walking with Your Ancestors: a genealogist’s guide to using maps and geography by Melinda Kashuba shows a different way to search for your ancestors’ information. Basic map reading is a necessity when looking for facts about family homesteads. A genealogist needs to realize, also, that borders of townships, counties and even states have moved over the years. Comparing old and new maps can lend insight into a family’s history. An interesting type of “map” to look at is the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps. These detailed a building’s shape, size, structural components, roof material, etc. so that fire responders and insurance companies would know what they were dealing with. FYI—one of the Library’s online databases is the Sanborn Maps for Michigan cities dating from the 1800’s through 1946. This is provided through our Superiorland Library Cooperative. For those who like to touch the real thing, the local Marquette Regional History Center has the actual Sanborn Fire Maps for Marquette City in its John M. Longyear Library.

The PWPL also has two other genealogy online databases. The Library provides in-house use of Ancestry.com-Library Edition. This database can search approximately 4,000 databases including census, birth, death, and marriage records plus other data from the United States, Canada and some other countries.  It contains copies of WWI Draft Registration Cards, the Social Security Death Index (updated monthly) and a  strong Civil War collection. HeritageQuest Online is provided by the Library of Michigan through its e-library services located at mel.org. In addition to census information, HeritageQuestOnline can search for books and periodicals about people or places. It will search Revolutionary War records that include pensions and bounty land applications. This database is one of the few that searches the Freedmen’s Bank for African-American information.

If you need a break from searching for genealogy information, there are several fiction books loosely based on the topic. One series is written by Rett MacPherson. Her books have genealogist and mother of three Torie O’Shea coping with life in Missouri. Her escapades can be found in Family Skeletons, A Comedy of Heirs, Killing Cousins and other mysteries by MacPherson.

Death on the Family Tree by Patricia Sprinkle is one of her Katharine Murray mysteries with a genealogy twist. Following her Aunt Lucy’s death, Katharine discovers an unknown branch of her family headed by none other than Aunt Lucy’s forgotten brother, Carter. Uncle Carter was murdered 50 years ago after a European trip. The story lies in how Katharine solves two murders plus finds the family “jewels.”

Another new genealogy-related item is the One-on-One Genealogy Class available on Wednesday nights at 7 pm. Staff will take you by the hand through the beginning steps of genealogy or attempt to find the illusive lost relative.  Call 226-4311 to make an appointment to begin your genealogy search.

            Biographies let us explore the lives and times of the famous, not so famous and infamous.  A good biography not only tells us about a person’s life, but also lets us know about the times in which he or she lived.  There is no limit to the offerings of biographical novels available today.
            The Man Who Invented the Computer is the story of little known John Atanasoff by Jane Smiley.  Atanasoff was a professor of physics at Iowa State College in the 1930’s.  Tired of the repetitious mathematical calculations he was forced to do each day, he experimented to develop a machine that would make easy work of computing.  His experimentation with a combination of the binary number system, electronic switches, an array of capacitors and a moving drum resulted in a computer machine.  Built in the basement of the ISC physics building, his pioneering computer laid the foundation for later developers.  
            Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, built his fortune on developing software for computers with Bill Gates.  He tells his side of the Microsoft partnership in Paul Allen, Idea Man.  After a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1982, Allen scaled back at Microsoft and started to enjoy life.  His involvement in professional sports, music, space discovery and brain research have left his mark on popular culture and provide an entertaining read.
            Amy Chua has made news as the “Tiger Mother”.  This biography recounts how Chua has raised her two daughters in the way of Chinese parents.  Rather than indulging her girls, Chau prepared them for the future by arming them with skills, strong work habits and inner confidence.  She made childhood a training period with Mandarin lessons, mathematics speed drills and two to three hours of daily music practice.  The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother documents the life of her family and ends with a surprising compromise.
            Actress Pam Grier is best known for her blaxploitation roles as the sexy femme fatale in Coffy, Foxy Brown and Sheba Baby.  Her autobiography Foxy shares the highs and lows of her film, stage and TV career.  Grier shares insights into celebrities and other actors as she tells her story, but the story that resonates is her sense of self, her confidence and love for her family.
            Jamin Darznik’s memoir The Good Daughter weaves the story of three generations of Iranian woman into the tale of one family.  Darznik captures the secrets, betrayal and bond between daughter and mother to tell the hidden story of her mother’s secret life and the mystery of her deceased father.
            Two new biographies are illuminating looks at the motion picture industry.  Empire of Dreams is the story of the epic life of Cecil B. DeMille and Tough as Nails documents the life and films of legendary director Richard Brooks.  Scott Eyman’s superbly researched biography of DeMille drew from DeMille family papers not previously available to other biographers.  In his exhaustive biography he portrays the man whose spectacular career defined movie making as a gifted director, loving family man and loyal friend.     
            Richard Brooks is known for writing and directing some of the twentieth century’s most iconic films including Blackboard Jungle, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, In Cold Blood and Looking for Mr. Goodbar.  Douglass K. Daniel has used studio documents and interviews from stars and colleagues to explain the story of Brooks’ life and groundbreaking work.
            Destroyer Captain by Admiral James Stavridis is the personal story of two years in command of the United States Navy destroyer USS Barry.  From 1993-1995, Stavridis was involved in operations around the world.  Using his daily journals, Stavridis captures just what life at sea is like for the 340 member crew and how worldwide events shaped their mission.

The Peter White Public Library offers these new gardening and landscaping books with the hope that the last frost is behind us. 

Sugar snaps & strawberries: simple solutions for creating your own small-space edible garden by Andrea Bellamy.

Contains a substantial amount of information on small-scale gardening. It includes growing tips, popular varieties of fruits and vegetables, what to grow, site work, plant health, and pruning.  New Adult Non-Fiction 635.0484 BE

Your farm in the city: an urban dweller's guide to growing food and raising livestock by Lisa Taylor.

This is a heavily illustrated guide for growing food in the city. Included are tips for cultivating some things that are off the beaten path. It includes an introduction to the concepts of edible flowers, beekeeping, and urban farm husbandry. It has recipes, and practical tips. Takes a “victory garden” approach, small property yielding a variety of food for the household.  New Adult Non-Fiction 630.9173 TA

 Eco-yards: simple steps to earth-friendly landscapes by Laureen Rama.

Have you ever seen someone’s yard landscaped without the traditional lawn, heaping with bountiful flowers, tall hearty grasses, small trees, shrubs, and intermingled vegetable gardens? Did you wonder how they pulled it off? Author Laureen Rama, a landscape designer, shows creative ways to achieve a yard that looks beautiful, yet conserves water and soil, working with your property instead of against it.  New Adult Non-Fiction 635.0484 RA

Succulent container gardens: design eye-catching displays with 350 easy-care plants Baldwin by Debra Lee.

Follow-up to her 2007 book Designing with succulents. Debra Lee shows a number of ways to create aesthetically pleasing looks using colorful plants that require little water. Also includes plant care and propagation, as well as an alphabetical guide to a variety of plants.  New Adult Non-Fiction 635.9525 BA

Container gardening for dummies by Bill Marken.

Another volume from the book series with the degrading title. Whether or not you are a true gardening dummy, this book will help you cultivate a green thumb. It covers a wide variety of plants: annuals, perennials, vegetables, and succulents. Includes indoor and outdoor applications of container gardening.  New Adult Non-Fiction 635.986 MA

Tender: a cook and his vegetable patch by Nigel Slater.

“Tender” is one of those flexible English words that can act as a noun, verb, or adjective. In the context of this book, all three apply. Written by Britain’s foremost food writer, Tender is presented in a narrative form. It describes the author’s passion to cultivate, cook, and eat from a garden.  New Adult Non-Fiction 641.65 SL

The Peter White Public offers these non-fiction books on the subject of photography.

Build Fun Paper Cameras: Take Eye-catching Pinhole Photos.  A Lark Photography Book.
This new book covers numerous templates for creating your own paper pinhole camera that actually works.  A CD also accompanies the book for added ease and instruction.  With the aid of Justin Quinnell, an expert in pinhole photography explains how a camera is a simple light processing box and how the reader can create their own with outstanding results.  Due to the experimental nature of pinhole photography both novice and experienced photographers will find this book fascinating.  
Adult Non-Fiction 771 Qu

Walker Evans: Photographer of America.  A book by Thomas Nau
Although this book was written for school-aged children in grades 5-9 it will prove to be an important find for anyone interested in American photography from the early half of the 20^th century.  This 60-page book beautifully recounts the life and philosophies of Walker Evans while displaying some the most striking reproductions from his career.  Many books concerning Walker Evan’s work deal entirely with his contributions to thedocumentation of depression-era America, however, this book shows the wide scope of his career with great respect to his earlier photographic work. 
Juvenile Non-Fiction j921 EV

 20^th Century Photography.  A book by edited by the Museum Ludwig.
The stunning reproductions in this book come from the Photographic Collection at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany.  Due to the vastness of the museums collection, all of the major photographic movements and genres are represented.  In the span of less than 200 pages the reader is able to explore the works of photographic icons ranging from Ansel Adams to Joel Peter Witkin.  This book does not shy away from controversial work from photographers such as Herbert Bayer and Duane Michals.  Instead, all of these photographers are celebrated for their varying viewpoints.
Adult Non-Fiction 770.904 TW

SIXTY YEARS Life: a 60^th Anniversary Celebration 1936-1996.   A book by Time Inc. Life Books.
With images ranging from war to athletes, from the White House to fashion, this glossy-paged book celebrates some the most moving moments from around the world captured on the pages of LIFE magazine.  As the reader thumbs through each page, the importance of photography as a means of documentation becomes more apparent.  As stated in the books opening pages by magazine founder Henry R. Luce, the purpose if LIFE was “to see life; to see the world.”  This books clearly shows the magazines dedication to that purpose as well as the evolution of the world during the six decades covered. 
Adult Non-Fiction 779.0904 Li

The Complete Guide to Black & White Digital Photography. A book by Michael Freeman.
This book outlines for the reader methodic ways of producing the very best black and white photographs.  Michael Freeman offers to the reader the option of simply converting a color photo into a black and white copy digitally but he later offers tips to help the photographer see in back and white to achieve their best results.  With Adobe Photoshop as his main weapon, Freeman shows how to overcome the various issues one faces with digital images such as noise reduction, color correction, and distortion.  Although the step-by-step guides make black ad white photography look easy, Freeman’s main purpose is to leave the reader with a strong understanding of black and white photography as an art form while equipping them with necessary skills to be successful. 
Adult Non-Fiction 778.3 Fr

            For a thoroughly inspiring tale to get your 2011 off to a good start, check out, author and public speaker, Nick Vujici’s book on our new non-fiction shelf.  Titled:  “Life Without Limits”, Vujicic, chronicles his journey through life’s challenges when born without arms and legs.  The author poses for his front jacket cover, and the strong smile lighting up his face, will provoke a desire to look further inside the book.  Born to Australian parents possessing a strong faith, Nick was a precocious, determined youngster who rose to all the challenges posed by his lack of limbs. When at times, his physical difficulties threatened to overwhelm him, he found help and comfort in his own personal faith in God and the love and support of family.  An adventurous spirit, Nick learned to scuba dive, skateboard, surf and master the use of a “smart phone” and computer keyboard.  A dynamic public speaker, with a dream of spreading his optimistic outlook on life, Nick has traveled worldwide and spoken to groups of all sizes, race and religion.  This is a book that will definitely help you to minimize your own problems and seek out solutions for life’s roadblocks.
            For a light, enjoyable novel to while away the “winter blahs”, try British author, Hester Browne’s latest, “The Finishing Touches”.  This will be shelved with our new fiction selections.  Previous bestsellers by Browne include “The Little Lady Agency” books.  In this newest read, Browne introduces us to Betsy Phillimore, the 27 year old adopted daughter of Lord and Lady Phillimore.  The Phillimores have owned and run an Academy for privileged, wealthy young women for many years.  Betsy, deposited on the Academy’s doorstep as a newborn infant, was instantly loved and treasured by Lady Frances and her husband.   Betsy learns how to be an elegant English lady and goes off to school in Scotland where she puts her organizational and business skills to work.  When Lady Frances dies, Betsy is summoned back to England by Lord Phillimore to restore financial stability, increase enrollment and made the Academy a modern young ladies finishing school.  Along the way, Betsy reunites with her best friend, her handsome playboy brother, and tackles the challenge of trying to find out who her real parents were.  Plenty of humorous British dialogue, sticky life situations and interesting characters make this a page turner.  Hester Browne does not disappoint her readers with this new entry.
            On the film front, our DVD library at Peter White just acquired the title, “Saints and Soldiers”, an acclaimed film from 2004 which won 14 best picture awards at film festivals nationwide.  This movie is based on actual WW II events and tells the story of a small band of American soldiers and a downed British paratrooper who try to smuggle important information through enemy lines in the dead of winter.  The acting is very engaging and the story moves briskly along.  It’s definitely one that will capture your attention and keep you rooting for the heroes to the conclusion. 
            We have two new non-fiction humorous essay books that will keep you entertained.  Lisa Scottoline and Nora Ephron are both out with fresh reminisces on life and all things related to it.  Scottoline, a New York Times bestselling author of suspense novels has combined with her daughter, Francesca Scottoline Serritella in “My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space”, and Ephron delivers wit and pathos with her latest, “I remember nothing:  and other reflections”.  Both of these books are great to cozy up to with a cup of coffee, even if you just have 5 minutes in your schedule to sit and relax.  The prose is straightforward, funny and thought-provoking.   The chapters appeal to people of all ages.  Both Ephron and Scottoline have made lucrative careers in other genres, but they excel in these latest attempts.  Such topics as “The six stages of e-mail”, “Bizzaro Birthdays” and “How to Talk to Moms” prove relatable and hilarious.  Scottoline’s daughter emerges as a writer with great potential for present and future success.
            If you need a pretty coffee table book to look at this month, check out “Shoes a-z” by Jonathan Walford.  There are lovely pictures of every type of shoe with history and designer information that is quite fascinating.  You’ll learn something as you decide which type you’d like to purchase some day.  There is so much to the shoe industry that many of us are unaware of, but this book will bring you up to speed.  Lovely photos adorn every page.
             "The Crabby Cook Cookbook" will make you anything but crabby as you get it off our new non-fiction shelf.  Jessica Harper, author actress, singer and comedienne dishes on life in the kitchen and includes her favorite "to to" recipes for entertaining and family means.  Her "George Clooney Chicken Salad" recipe proved a hit at the Superbowl party I brought it to.  I found it easy to prepare, as well as very different from your normal chicken salad.  The actress/writer's life stories are extremely engaging as she describes disasters in her kitchen while entertaining a rich actress and her spouse, as well as the family pet's response to certain entrees and her picky family's preferences that she tries to accommodate.  There were so many recipes in this book that I wanted to try out.  The jacket cover agrees with me and stated, "that's good...because, let's face it, chances are you're going to make dinner tonight!" 

          Today is the celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday; he would be 202 years old, if he still lived. George Washington’s birthday anniversary is February 22. To commemorate these two Presidents’ births as well as all other presidents, we celebrate Presidents’ Day on the third Monday of February each year. For that reason I’m highlighting new Presidential biographies that we have in the Library.           
          Our first president is covered by Ron Chernow in his latest book, Washington: a life. A well-known biographer, Chernow divides George Washington’s life into 6 parts to tell his story. He details Washington’s personal, inward self criticism as well as his wit and sense of humor to illustrate him as an individual as well as a man of politics and the world.
          David Eisenhower and his wife, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, wrote a nice story about President Dwight Eisenhower entitled Going Home to Glory: a memoir of life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969. Eisenhower, who is Ike’s grandson, describes his grandfather’s later life—after his military career that ended as a five-star general, after his Presidency, after his retirement from active politics. It presents a remarkable, worldly man in his quiet life at the family farm in Gettysburg, PA.
          Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris is another new presidential biography. Theodore Roosevelt was a military man before becoming President. In the prologue, one learns that his military title of “Colonel Roosevelt” was more cherished by him at the end of his life than “Mr. President.” He insisted that everyone call him “Colonel.” The remainder of the book shows him coping with post-presidential life and his declining health. This text finishes Morris’s trilogy on Roosevelt by following his other books, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex.   
          Ron Reagan wrote about his father, President Ronald Reagan, in his book, My Father @ 100. The book commemorates the 100^th anniversary of President Reagan’s birth which was February 6, 1911. It is written from Son Ron’s own family experiences with his actor-politician-rancher and stay-at-home dad. His loving account deals more with the man he knew than the public persona.
          The White House Diary by Jimmy Carter, 39^th President of the United States of America, is a collection of excerpts from his personal diary written during those four years. Besides being his personal thoughts of his daily activities, he explains his thoughts about what was happening worldwide. He tells of meetings with world leaders, his interactions with them and the outcome. Also included are a few pages of captioned photographs of President Carter with important world diplomats. 
          George W. Bush recently released his own autobiography entitled Decision Points. Bush reveals a different sort of memoir that includes his candid insights into how he made some of the world’s biggest decisions while serving as our 43^rd President. He writes of his mistakes and disappointments while still pointing out his accomplishments as Governor of Texas, President and as a son, husband and father.

Each year the Michigan Reading Association sponsors a program called Great Lakes Great Books that invites Michigan students to choose their favorite books from a slate of books grouped by grade level.  This year kindergarten and first grade students will select their favorite book from among these new picture books. See which one is your favorite. 

The Peter White Public Library offers these new non-fiction DVDs.

Secrets of Stonehenge. A PBS documentary from NOVA. 
Each year, over a million people are drawn to the countryside in the south of England to visit Stonehenge. Among them are a new generation of engineers, scientists, archaeologists, and other researchers who are trying to unravel the mystery of the famous bluestone megalith. 
DVD 936.2319 Se

Fall and Rise of China. A Great Courses DVD. 
The Great Courses DVDs and CDs offer quality in-depth coverage of a wide variety of topics. The story of China involves rapid change during the past century, tempered by traditions that have endured for hundreds, if not thousands of years. This course is taught by Professor Richard Baum, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, an expert on the Chinese culture. 
DVD 951 Fa

Gasland. A documentary by Josh Fox.
A look at “hydraulic fracturing”, a means of obtaining natural gas by tapping reserves buried deep in shale that were previously thought unrecoverable. Fox visits sites in several states where the process has caused contamination of groundwater. At some homes, a stream of natural gas is released when water faucets are turned on, and can be lit like a torch.
DVD 622.1828 Ga

Life. A BBC / Discovery Channel series documentary.
From the makers of the hit series Planet Earth comes Life. This four disc set covers plants and animals, 130 different stories found in nature. 54 of the stories have never been filmed before. 3000 days of filming went into the production, covering every continent on Earth. US version narrated by Oprah Winfrey. 
DVD 577 Li

American Pickers: The Complete Season 1. History Channel.
Series follows Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz through small town America purchasing antiques for their appropriately names business “Antique Archaeology”, based in Iowa. Offers an insight into the antiques trade, as the pair visit homes and businesses in search of diamonds in the rough. 
DVD 745.1 Am

Paris: Luminous Years. A PBS documentary.
Recounts the dawning of the modern movement in the early 20^th century. Paris was unrivaled in the art world, cradling innovation, drawing in, and inspiring artists from around the world.  
DVD 709.4436 Pa
 

Legends of the Canyon: Classic Artists. As told by rock photographer Henry Diltz.
The story of the musicians who inhabited the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles in the late 1960s. Artists include Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Mamas and the Papas, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt and others.  
DVD 781.66 Le

Another new year, another new beginning.  This January on the display kiosk on the main floor, the library staff is featuring some of our authors’ “new beginnings”—in other words their first novels.  We also have some of those first novels in the new fiction section of the library.  Start off your new year with one of these:           

Snow Day by Billy Coffey.  Awakened by radio broadcasts urging the residents of a small Virginia town to take a snow day rather than travel to school and work, Peter Boyd finds himself with an opportunity to find big truths in small moments and surprise encounters.  Peter believes he has a good life, with a decent job and a family he loves.  But he’s quietly worried he’ll be cut when downsizing takes effect at the factory, his family will lose the home they love, and his faith will crumble along with his bank account.   Through the course of his “snow day”, he will rediscover that whatever comes in life, hope is the only choice that makes sense.

In A Year of Cats and Dogs, Margaret Hawkins spins an offbeat and delightful tale of a midlife anti-crisis. Maryanne is the 49-year-old owner of Clement, an orange cat, and Bob, a seven-year-old Rottweiler. Ex-boyfriend Phillip has just moved out, ending their 10-year relationship, which leaves Maryann feeling blah, so she resolves to "go AWOL from the productive world." After she quits her job, her life consists mostly of drinking tea, walking her dog and cooking dreary meals for one. Then she realizes she has a gift for speaking with animals, which segues into a part-time gig at an animal shelter. Maryanne recasts her life in this unhurried and lighthearted narrative.

The Quickening  by Michelle Hoover tells the story of the intertwined fortunes of two early 20th-century Midwestern farm women. From the time Enidina Current and her husband, Frank, move into the hardscrabble farmhouse a day's wagon ride away from Enidina's family, their closest neighbors, Jack and Mary Morrow, perplex them, though their proximity and shared farm work often bring the two couples together. Sharing the narrative, stoic Enidina struggles through several miscarriages before finally bearing twins, while the more delicate Mary reels from disappointment, most of all in her volatile husband. Moving through the Depression, the families are driven farther apart from each other, until an accident and a betrayal drive the final wedge into their lives. 

In Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord, a villager leaves her husband and finds she can manipulate chaos in Lord's retelling of a Senegalese folktale.  Paama flees her gluttonous husband, Ansige; two years later, he hires the master tracker Kwame to find her.  Kwame reluctantly takes the job to finance his own wanderlust.  These events draw the attention of the Indigo Lord, one of the powerful spirits called Djombi.  He wielded the power of Chaos until it is taken from him and given to Paama, and he wants it back.

It’s always nice to start reading at the beginning of a mystery series. Million Dollar Baby: a Marjorie McClelland Mystery by Amy Patricia Meade is both a first novel and the first of a series.  With its 1930s setting and unlikely pairing of a rich dilettante and an earnest young woman, Meade's debut will strike a chord with fanciers of Dorothy Sayers's Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. When Creighton Ashcroft arrives in his Rolls-Royce Phantom in the little town of Ridgebury, Connecticut, he creates quite a stir. Unimpressed by the car or its owner is mystery writer Marjorie McClelland, until she decides that Ashcroft might be able to help with her new novel. The history of a long-ago suicide at Ashcroft's newly purchased mansion and the accidental discovery of an old murder victim serve to bring the two together, while a handsome police detective provides competition and a foil.

In The Gendarme by Mark T.Mustian the dreams of a former Turkish soldier contain the truth of his past. Emmett Conn is 92 and living in Georgia when he begins dreaming of his youth and his involvement in the Armenian diaspora. After 70 years of amnesia caused by his WWI injuries, Emmett's past returns with a vengeance following surgery for a brain tumor. Emmett knows he fought the British at Gallipoli, was wounded, and was cared for by a nurse, Carol, whom he married and accompanied back to the U.S. But in his violent dreams, he relives his actions as a Turkish gendarme in the forced death march of thousands of Armenians into Syria. Emmett recalls snippets of his murderous and rapacious acts but also of his obsession with a beautiful young Armenian girl, Araxie. His dream life leads him to one conclusion: he must find Araxie and beg her forgiveness.

People in the Marquette area just love their dogs!  They walk them all over town, play with them in the park, and write stories about them.  Here are some great picture books about dogs from the juvenile collection (lower level of the library).

Emily Gravett’s DOGS is written from the point of view of a cat who appreciates the qualities of most dogs.  Gravett weaves in words that are opposites by contrasting a hairy sheepdog, shaking hair all over the page, with a bald chihuahua wearing a sweater.  Besides Gravett’s unusual choice of opposites, such as shabby dogs and chic dogs, she does her own distinctive illustrations.  Each two-page layout features one or more breed of dog with expressions that let readers know exactly what those dogs are thinking. 

Cynthia Rylant writes a whole series of readers for first graders about a boy named Henry and his faithful dog, Mudge.  It seems they have teamed up with Annie and her pet rabbit, Snowball, for snowy fun and adventure in ANNIE AND SNOWBALL AND THE WINTRY FREEZE.  Both series are illustrated by Sucie Stevenson, who, with Rylant, has received the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for creative children’s literature.

GOOD-BYE SHEEPIE by Robert Burleigh reminds us that there will be a time when everyone has to say good-bye to their pet.  Sheepie, Owen’s family dog, has grown old and isn’t able to play and move around like he used to.  One day he doesn’t move at all.  Owen’s father doesn’t sugar coat the realities of death, but assures his son that Sheepie lives on in memories.  Peter Catalanotto illustrates the story with sophisticated watercolors that enhance the emotions of the characters with rich colors and shadows.

A more upbeat book is ONE PUP’S UP by Marsha Wilson Chall.  With a litter of ten puppies, one of them always wants to start an adventure and wake the others up.  Chall’s metered words are alliterative and fun to read, as the story counts up to ten and back down again.  The watercolor and ink illustrations of Henry Cole are welcome additions to the tale, portraying the thoughts behind each puppy activity.  

Another new title for the younger set is WOOF: A LOVE STORY by Sarah Weeks, about a dog who tries to make friends with a cat.  No matter how many nice things he says to her, all she hears is “Woof, woof, woof.”  Although the rhyming text tells the story well, the creative illustrations by Holly Berry give readers a hint of how the dog finally makes his offers of friendship known over the canine-feline language barrier.

If you walk over to the non-fiction books, you’ll find a series on dog breeds, including Beagles, Boxers, Bulldogs, Chihuahuas, Collies, Dashshunds, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Poodles, Pugs, Saint Bernards, Shetland Sheepdogs, Siberian Huskies, and Yorkshire Terriers.  There’s also a humorous and practical book about making friends with dogs titled, DON’T LICK THE DOG by Wendy Wahman.  The bright illustrations and rhyming text make it easy for young children to understand, but the advice is meant for all ages.  You’ll find a whole shelf of dog books under the call number 636.7.

Several breeds of dogs are part of Library Pet Partners, a program that pairs children and certified therapy dogs as reading partners.  Children improve their reading skills by reading to attentive canine listeners who are accompanied by their owners.  Dogs are allowed in the library to meet their young partners for reading sessions. Call or visit the Youth Services Desk at 226-4323 for more information.

            Knitting has, without question, become something of a chic hobby these days, but it almost seems like one of its counterparts, crocheting, has been ignored, even though it is just as fun, and quite a bit easier. Knitting patterns have been refurbished to fit the modern tastes, and so too have the myriad of crocheting patterns. For those who are looking for something to pique their hooking hobby, something a bit more modern and fashionable, take a look at the books listed below:

            Stitch’n Bitch Crochet’s The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller is a great resource for the more modern crotchetier. Aside from giving a great introduction for novices in crochet, which takes up eight chapters, the actual patterns are more than just the “mile-a-minute” afghans many of us were first introduced to. The author gives a pattern for just about every idea, from a bikini or boyfriend sweater, to fuzzy bunny slippers and stuffed animals, all the way to kitchen supplies.

            In the same line of thinking as The Happy Hooker, Not Your Mama’s Crochet by Amy Swenson pays attention to more modern trends. While some of the patterns are reminiscent of the more traditional patterns (the dishcloth or the scarves for example) the sweaters and the bags definitely have a modern feel to them. As with the previously mentioned book, she also gives an  introduction to crochet methods, and even includes a chapter on the different kinds of yarns that can be used. Another plus for this book is the inclusion of possible prices for each project.

            For those who are interested in more difficult patterns, Geometrics: A New Way to Crochet by Ruthie Marks has something unlike many other crochet books.  The author doesn’t give an introduction for new beginners. Instead, she gets right down to business and her patterns. Her dragon curve patterns are eye-popping, and for those who want to try something more three dimensional, her “Craft tote for all seasons” pattern is worth it. The colourful geometric patterns used in the star afghan or the checkered rug are also intriguing, if the three-dimensional shapes are not to your taste.

            If those patterns catch your eye, and you are looking for something more in the line of art rather than clothing, Freeform Knitting and Crochet by Jenny Dowde, is for you. Yes, granted, it isn’t pure crochet, but the patterns included are quite eye-catching. Most of the patterns are of bags, amulet necklaces, hats and scarves, but each has its own charm. What is nice about her book, is that it also gives tips for the different kinds of stitches used in the book, letting the reader know just what to look for. She also includes what kinds of other accessories (buttons and the like) work best with each creation.

            For those who prefer the more traditional ideas in crochet, there are still some great books that give that feeling, while still giving some new twists on the classics. The New Granny Square by Susan Cottrell and Cindy Weloth, is just one such book. As the title suggests, the topic of this book is the classic granny square, but they add newer designs to it, as well as using newer materials, such as ribbons and silk chords, to the yarn textures. The first half of the book details different patterns and variations of the granny square, while the second half gives ideas to use for the squares and patterns in which they can be incorporated.  One very cute pattern is for cozy brown slippers, made with “suede” yarn.

            201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks, Projects and Ideas by Melody Griffiths, showcases a lot of the more classical patterns and also gives detailed diagrams to help the reader understand exactly what is supposed to happen instead of just the written pattern. A lot of her patterns are based in the classics, but she also gives some interesting newer patterns for different blocks of crochet that can then be put together to create something amazing. Her patterns at the end of the book are also intriguing.